10/08/2012: WarmlyYours Weekly Remodeling and Radiant Heating News

Here is the latest news from the WarmlyYours Weekly Radiant News for this week! We are your one-stop source for all things radiant and the home remodeling industry!

This week's featured articles:

"Self-Regulating vs. Constant Wattage Heating Cables"

Let's start by asking the important questions about self-regulating and constant wattage cable - what is the difference between the two types of cable and is one more effective than the other?

An electric heating cable is a wire cable that produces heat, also referred to as heat trace cable. Heating cable can be used in a wide range of applications for the home, such as floor heating, heat loss replacement, pipe freeze protection, roof and gutter deicing, and snow melting. There are two different kinds of cables, self-regulating and constant wattage, and both can serve the same purpose, although the application will typically determine the best solution for the job.Read More

"Home Prices are Up Versus a Year Ago in 16 Major Cities"

July’s data for the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices showed continued improvement in the housing market. The 10-City Composite was up 1.5% and 20-City Composites was up 1.6% in July over June, making it the fourth consecutive monthly increase in both indices. The 10- and 20-City Composites posted annual returns of +0.6% and +1.2% in July 2012, up from their unchanged and +0.6% annual rates posted for June 2012. Only three cities – Cleveland, Detroit and New York – saw annual rates of change worsen in July. Dallas and Washington DC saw no change in their annual rates, with both remaining up 3.7% versus July of last year. The other 15 cities saw an improvement in this statistic.Read More

"List of Improving Housing Markets Eclipses 100 in October"

A total of 103 housing markets across the United States qualified to be listed on the National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI) for October, released today. This is up from 99 markets listed as improving in September and is the largest number of metros on the IMI since it was created one year ago. A total of 33 states and the District of Columbia are represented on the October list. The index identifies metropolitan areas that have shown improvement from their respective troughs in housing permits, employment and house prices for at least six consecutive months. Markets added to the list in October include such geographically diverse locations as Santa Cruz, Calif.; Pocatello, Idaho; Abilene, Texas; and Savanna, Ga.Read More

"Remodeling Resurgence Boosts Sales for Contractors"

Glenn Bridges can tell that the market for home remodeling is picking up — when he's hanging cabinets or laying a floor in a customer's house, a next-door neighbor is bound to knock on the door and ask if he's available for another project. They'll look at his handiwork and then say, "we have something we're interested in doing," Bridges says. "It's quite uplifting."

The collapse of the housing market decimated business for contractors like Bridges, most of whom are small businesses with just a handful of employees. But many are seeing business improve as home sales slowly recover and homeowners who had put off projects during the recession are feeling better about the economy. Still, the improvement is gradual and projects aren't typically as lucrative as they were back when homeowners were able borrow against a large amount of equity in their houses.Read More

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